A man accused of murdering his girlfriend’s toddler told a nurse: “I want to die so I can’t hurt anybody else”, a jury heard.

Former bar manager Craig Smith, 28, told mental health practitioner Lauren Diggory he had always struggled with anger and had “demons in my head” after his arrest over the death of two-year-old Teddy Tilston.

Smith had called 999 on the afternoon of March 1 saying the toddler had drowned in the bath at the family home in Woodville Road, Birkenhead.

While Teddy was dying, his twin sister Cassidy was in Arrowe Park Hospital with their mum Ashleigh Willett, 25, being treated for a head injury which prosecutors say was also caused by Smith.

He was later charged after medical evidence revealed multiple injuries, while the cause of death was found to be blunt force trauma to the abdomen.

Today a jury at Liverpool Crown Court heard that Ms Diggory, a nurse at Merseycare NHS Trust working as part of the Criminal Justice Liaison Team, assessed Smith three days after his arrest due to concerns about his mental state.

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During the conversation Smith revealed he had “demons” but the court heard these referred to his anger issues rather than any hallucinations or psychosis.

Mr Johnson asked: “Did you come to the conclusion he was experiencing an acute stress reaction, but there was no signs of mental illness?”

Ms Diggory said: “We did.”

Icah Peart, QC, representing Smith, asked why, despite his behaviour in the first and second assessment, his client had been deemed fit for interview by police.

Teddy Tilston

He said: “In what way do you say he was fit for interview, because here is a man suffering what you describe as an acute stress reaction to a traumatic event, he is not responding to questions..how is he fit for interview if he can’t process what is being said?”

Ms Diggory said: “Craig appeared to have an element of control over his presentation; there was some delays in his processing...but that does not mean he was not able to understand.”

Mr Peart pointed out that arrangements were made for Smith to see mental health workers in prison after being remanded in custody.